


Respite

by IvoryCrest



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, It's Caleb loving hour, M/M, Relaxing, Sweet, widofjord
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 14:34:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20875793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvoryCrest/pseuds/IvoryCrest
Summary: Fjord and Caleb take some time for themselves.





	Respite

**Author's Note:**

> Did I write about 2000 words of Widofjord at 2 am? Yes, yes I did. I should do this more often.
> 
> Have a good day/night <3

"Guys, you smell really bad," Jester waved in front of her face as if it'd block the scent from traveling too close. "You should take a bath."

Both Fjord and Caleb looked at themselves, clothes and visible skin alike covered in a purplish-black ichor. Even Frumpkin strayed from Caleb's side, lazily being held by Beau.

Fjord sighs as the slimy consistency refused to be wiped away simply. "Yeah, it wouldn't hurt. Get this shit cleaned off. Anyone else joining?"

"Nope!" Jester happily answers. "We'll be finding a place for the night."

"Yeah, go clean yourselves," Beau insisted, shooing them off. "I don't want to smell that shit anymore."

"Caleb, make sure you get yourself nice and clean and enjoy yourself," Nott said as she joined Jester's side. "I'll stay with everyone else."

"I wonder if there's anything useful in this town," Caduceus pondered, ignoring the entire conversation, or oblivious.

Quickly the group began to drift away from them, chattering amongst themselves. Before they got too far, Jester turned back and yelled, "Take your time! We know you haven't had any _alone_ time in a while!"

Fjord groaned as he let his face fall into his hand. Caleb shared the sentiment, pinching the bridge of his nose. There was an awkward silence between them and the few people that were passing by.

"If I wasn't so tapped, I'd be invisible right now," Caleb muttered, but loud enough for the half-orc to hear.

"And I wouldn't mind a misty-step right now," Fjord added as he met the eyes of an older woman. "Excuse me, could you tell me where the bathhouse would be?"

The old woman looked them both over, and the scent hit her, making her face scrunch. "Well, aren't you two a right mess. What did you boys get into?"

"Wolves, ma'am. One of the bigger ones happened to get cut open and well, we were in that pathway."

She chuckled, a little hoarse, but a chuckle nonetheless. "Come on. I can take you there. I run the damn place. Name's Gensie."

"I'm Fjord and this is Caleb."

"_Hallo_."

They follow along with her. Despite her appearance, she's rather fast. She tells them her family has run the business for generations in this town. It isn't the fanciest thing, but it gets the job done, and people don't complain coming out this far. She's a blunt woman, almost an older version of Beau, but with the mischevious side of Jester.

As they approach the building, it appears to be the largest one, but only so much. The outside isn't very special. It resembles the buildings around, wood and stone. Walking inside, it's a drastic change.

Four chiseled stone columns sit in the corners of the front room. The window to the side lets in natural light. The floors are a lovely white stone. There's an array of plants along the walls. Some bare fruit while other wildflowers. A beautifully carved desk sits to the side, a younger woman sitting, reading a book. She looks up and smiles at the older woman, then nods to Fjord and Caleb with a curious and slightly horrified look.

"You brought a tough job with you today Gran," she sighs. "Gentlemen, it'll be four silver each for the communal bath or a five gold for the private. Another few silver for the clothes and armor."

"I'd double the washing, Levus. Wolf blood doesn't come out so easy," Gensie laughed. "So, what'll it be boys?"

"We'd probably scare the hell out of anyone in the shared, so we'll take the private, and that clothes washing, with apologies." Fjord smiled, dropping ten gold on the desk without a thought.

Levus collected the coins, writing in a book that was just out of view. "Let's go, boys! Not my fault if you fall behind!" Gensie called as she started heading down a hallway.

Quickly they followed after. Gensie moved down the hall and turned right, heading downstairs. She then stopped at the door to her left, unlocking it. As she did, there was a sudden commotion coming from the door away down to the right. Muttering she moved to that door and opened it.

"Hey! You little brats behave! I may be your Grandmother but I'm not about to let you be animals!"

"Don't let me piss her off," Fjord whispered to Caleb.

The wizard smiled. "I think we're fine as long as we behave ourselves."

"There's towels and soaps for your use. Levus will come in with some complimentary food and drink," The woman looked them over and shook her head. "Adventuring folk are always making me work. Enjoy your stay boys!"

They're shoved inside the room, and the door shuts behind them. "Why do I feel as if I was scolded like a child?" Fjord shook his head, beginning to work the straps of his shoulder plate.

"Don't worry about it, Fjord. Every grandmother treats everyone like kids."

Caleb peeled off his coat, stiff with the dried blood. Methodically, he pulled out his spell components, laying them out in proper order before dropping it coat into a basket. He unbuckled his holsters, gently setting the books down, devoid of any blood. Just as he was unbuttoning his shirt, a knock came at the door, and Levus walked in, carrying a tray.

"Gentlemen, enjoy," she said as she set it on the bench. "Leave the basket outside the door, and I'll get it." She glanced between the two of them and smiled a little more coyly. "Take all the time you need."

As she left, Caleb pried off his shirt, feeling a slight chill. "Fjord, are we that obvious?" He looked to the other man, finding Fjord was not so subtlely watching Caleb undress.

Realizing what he'd been doing, he flushes a little and turns his eyes away. "Don't know what you're talking about."

Caleb smirks and continues to undress until there's nothing left. He moves over to the side of the bath where an open grate was. Grabbing a bucket, he scoops up some water and pours it over himself, scratching at the parts where blood had dried on his skin.

When he's sure his skin is free of any more blood, he sinks into the bath, letting the water relax him. He hears something be set down near him and sees that Fjord moved the tray. He watches the half-orc go and rinse himself off. Caleb decides to start picking at the food, opting for the fruit than the meat.

"Any specific one you were wanting?" Caleb turns to Fjord as he asks. Fjord stands at a shelf with little bottles and bars of soap in bowls. It's hard to answer as Caleb's eyes drift along the toned body.

Since Fjord took to the Wildmother, there have been noticeable changes. The size difference is one. He's much more... buff now. Not that he wasn't before, but it's interesting.

What Jester said was true. They haven't had much time alone. They've been moving from place to place. This is the first downtime they've had in a while.

Fjord picks one up and gives it a whiff, not bothered, but not interested either. The next makes his face twist and he drops that one back. The third gives him a questioning look, then somewhat approval, but still questionable.

"Whichever you prefer," Caleb finally answers, tossing another grape into his mouth.

The water shifts as Fjord enters the bath. "I almost feel sorry for the rest not coming to join us."

"Almost?"

Caleb immediately relaxes as he feels the other press against his back. "Well, I have you all to myself now. It's hard to compete with that."

Fjords hand moved across the human's shoulder, inspecting for any wound or bruise. His eyes moved to his back, doing the same. Moving to the arms, Fjord looked them over, stopping at the scars that were now a familiar sight. He leaned down and pressed his lips to the scarred forearm. He mimicked the same to the other.

Caleb had a feeling of unworthiness settle in him as the half-orc stared so intently at the reminders of his past, but it melted a little as Fjord kissed them.

With a swift movement, Fjord pulled the hair tie from the wizard's hair, letting the russet strands fall to the shoulder. He raked his fingers through the hair, working out knots as they were found.

Caleb stays still, feeding Fjord a now and then as he works. It's a quiet moment, intimate. They're too far apart in their lives. They try and juggle so many things at once, it's hard to remember to take a moment to breathe.

After 15 minutes of working his hair, Fjord watches as Caleb's head droops a little. He lightly chuckles, getting close to his ear. "I need you to dunk your head back," he says in a lowered voice, noticing the man was having some trouble keeping his eyes open.

Cradling his head, Fjord lightly presses Caleb to lean back, letting his hair disappear beneath the water's surface. He scratches the human's scalp gently.

Caleb lets out a soft hum of approval, barely opening his eyes to meet the others. "_Hallo_, Fjord."

Fjord smiles, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the man's lips. "Hey, feeling good?"

The wizard nods, nuzzling his head more into Fjord's touch. "Very _gut_."

"Nice to turn off the mind for a while, huh?" Caleb only answers with a nod as he sits up, letting Fjord work the shampoo into his hair.

Caleb leans on the edge of the bath, confident he'll slip in the water otherwise. As the soap suds, Fjord works it into every strand and along his scalp. He moves down to the shoulders, slowly beginning to knead them.

A slight grunt leaves Caleb's lips as the calloused hands work on the tight ball of tension. It takes a few minutes, but the tightness comes loose and Fjord moves onto the next, slowly picking the human apart.

Fjord doesn't mind this, taking care of the man. He knows Caleb doesn't always relax like this, even when they happen to be alone. The majority of the time, the man is stiff and a little cold. Everything that's happened so far isn't making things better. He seems to be trying to find ways for everything to work and is the first one to make himself feel worthless if it doesn't.

Even if it's for this short time, Fjord wants to take the burden away, make his mind blank. There are other ways to do that, but taking care of him like this seems the better option this time. Intimacy doesn't need to involve sex. The fact that Caleb allows him to take care of him like this makes Fjord's heart melt. To see the man so defenseless and calm, it's rare. A damn shame too.

Cupping water in his hands, he pours it on Caleb's hair, letting the soap wash out. He seems fast asleep, just barely holding onto the edge.

Stepping back, Fjord wets his hair. Just as he was about to pour the soap into his hand, Caleb grabs it. "I'll do it for you too."

Without saying anything, Fjord turns around, letting Caleb work the soap through his hair, letting his eyes fall closed. The man mutters in Zemnian with each not he finds, but it's quickly undone.

It doesn't take near as long as it did for Caleb. Fjord's hair might've grown, but it wasn't as long as the wizards. When he was done, Fjord dipped his head in the water. He stayed under, staring up at the slightly distorted image of Caleb's face.

Resurfacing, he shakes his head, getting a surprised yelp from Caleb as he turns his head with a smile.

"We'll have to leave soon. I'm sure the others are waiting for us."

A knock comes at the door. "Clothes are ready," Gensie calls from the other side. "Leave when you're ready. No rush."

"If you want you can take a little nap. I'll wake you up in a bit."

Caleb nods, resting against Fjord and quickly drifting into a light sleep. Fjord runs his hand in his hair, quietly humming to himself.

Sometime later, they finally decide it's time to leave, already finding themselves pruned. Their clothes look as if nothing had ever touched them, and a few tears had been repaired as well. Caleb even found a pouch of what appeared to be freshly baked cookies in a pocket.

They easily found the tavern their friends had disappeared to, finding Beau and Nott in what had to be the fourth round of shots, waiting to see who fell first. Caduceus was pouring tea for him and Jester as they watched, waiting to see the winner.

Without missing a beat, Fjord and Caleb took the two empty seats, joining to watch. Caleb easily melted into Fjord's side, watching his friends create their own regret. 


End file.
